Fire-tongs.



No. 643,723. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

W. B. MORLAN.

FIRE TUNES.

(Application filed Oct. 18, 1899.) (No Model.)

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER B. MORLAN, OF URI OH, MISSOURI.

FlRE-TONGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,723, dated February 20, 1900.- Application filed October 18,1899. Serial No. 734,014. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER B. MORLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Urich, in the county of Henry and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Fire-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire-ton gs, and has for its object to provide improved means for combining a shovel with a poker or other suitable bar in a manner to form a pair of tongs. It is furthermore designed to provide convenient means for assembling the shovel and the poker without materially'changing the construction thereof, so as to pivotally connect the same and to prevent the latter from becoming accidentally disengaged during the operation thereof.

To these ends the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shovel-handle constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the shovel and the poker assembled to form a pair of tongs. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the handle of the shovel.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings are designated by like characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates any preferred form of shovelblade, having a substantially straight bar or rod-handle 2, the inner end adjacent to the shovel-blade being rounded or bowed laterally upon the upper side of the blade, so that the blade is offset laterally and disposed substantially parallel to the handle 2. In the bowed portion of the handle there is provided a longitudinal slot 3, the front wall 4 thereof being located immediately above the shovelblade and disposed substantially horizontal. Provided in one wall of the slot is a forwardlyinclined entrance-slot 5, located about midway between the opposite ends of the longitudinal slot.

As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the poker 6 is inserted into the longitudinal slot in the handle of the shovel, so that the forward end of the poker is located abot e the upper side of the shovel-blade and cooperates therewith. The handle portion of the poker is located longitudinally beneath the handle of the shovel and bears against the lower side of the rear Wall of the longitudinal slot as a fulcrum-point, so that by forcing the rear ends of the shovel-handle and the poker together the opposite ends thereof will also be forced together, and thereby form the jaws of the tongs. It is now apparent that the forward wall of the longitudinal slot is located horizontally, so as to accommodate the poker and permit of the latter closing down upon the shovel-blade.

It Will be observed that the rear wall of the slot 3 meets the lower outer side of the handle in an abrupt angle and forms a substantially sharp transverse fulcrum-point for the rod or poker 6, and said fulcrum-point is designed to bite into the hook, so as to prevent accidental longitudinal movement thereof when the device is gripping an object.

Although it is possible to insert the poker longitudinally through the slot 3 from the under side of the shovel-handle, it may also be inserted laterally through the entranceslot 5, and after the poker has been properly arranged within the longitudinal slot it is disposed transversely across the entrance-slot, as indicated in Fig. 2, and is thereby prevented from becoming accidentally displaced from the longitudinal slot during the operation of the device. isof importance in that the members may be readily assembled in the dark or otherwise by crossing the same and moving the poker forward until it engages with the entranceslot 5.

It will be noted that the poker or member 6 is longitudinally insertible and removable transversely through the longitudinal slot 3 and also longitudinally adjustable therethrough, so as to accommodate the tongs to articles of different shapes and sizes; also, the entrance-slot 5 serves merely to facilitate the assembling of the members and has no This lateral entrance-slot,

dinally through the slot in the handle and engaging against the sharp fulcrum-bearing, and the latter biting into the poker, to prevent accidentallongitudinal movement of the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VALTER B. MORLAN.

Witnesses:

S. W. WoLTznN, V. W. HALL. 

